Rap of Simeon

When Simeon saw Jesus, he couldn’t help it.  He had to sing.  So he sung a little song that he composed.  Today, Pastor Evan felt like he needed to sing a song too, but he doesn’t compose music.  So instead, Pastor Evan created “Rap of Simeon” – enjoy!

First Sunday of Christmas (Year B) – December 28, 2014 – Luke 2:22-40

St. Jacob’s-Spaders Lutheran Church, Harrisonburg, Virginia

“Rap of Simeon” – Pastor Evan Davis

[Sing Nunc Dimittis from ELW Compline…]

Sometimes we just have to sing. That was the Nunc Dimittis, the Song of Simeon which we just heard in our gospel text, from the Night Prayer, called Compline that I sang with my fellow students most every night at seminary. Songs stay with us. I can’t tell you what anybody ever said in those beautiful moments of Compline but the songs and prayers we chanted will always stay with me.

Songs have power. They’re what we remember…from Christmas Eve, it’s the carols. That’s my memory of Christmas Eve growing up – singing Silent Night with my brother by candlelight in the back row of the choir. We giggled like the nerds we were, singing it in German.

Songs mark great moments in history. Great moments when the world changed…there was probably a song you remember from that time.

Great moments when we changed…I remember the songs I listened to when I started college, when I quit my job and started working toward seminary…when I first started dating Brett. Our lives have a soundtrack! Songs share sighs too deep for words.

When Jesus finally arrived, when God’s word of promise from long ago was fulfilled, which he’d been waiting for his whole life, all Simeon could do was sing. That’s all there was left to do.¹ Seeing all that God had done in sending this child of promise, the child who would be a light illuminating the way of God to all the nations and glory to God’s people Israel, the very salvation of God, all Simeon could do was be thankful, and sing praise and thanksgiving to God. It wasn’t time to reflect, to offer a commentary – but just to fully be in that moment, and sing.

Sometimes we don’t feel like singing – there’s too much pain, too much loss, too much grief and hardship in our lives. But we are people of the manger and the resurrection – and in singing all the time, even when we face the worst of this world’s fear, anger, hatred, and brokenness, we show the world that even then we can be people of faith, praise, gratitude, and peace. So we have to sing. We’ve been through Christmas, we’ve heard the story, Christ is born into our lives once again! It’s the last Sunday of the year, and we have a lot to be thankful for, a lot to remember and praise God about. So how can we keep from singing? I can’t. So I’m gonna sing my song today, a song I put together. Except I don’t know how to compose music, so this is a rap…hold on, stay with me….

This song goes out to all the people out there who were sitting in darkness….for they have seen a great light! Love has come!

She thought it was a dream

The angel Gabe came to Mary

Sayin’ get ready for a cute little baby

but not just any kid was on his way

the Son of God would be lying up in the hay

of the manger cause there was no room

in the inn, his own people were so rude

humankind had evil on the mind

greed, fear, and hate all the time on the daily grind

“love God with heart, mind, and strength” huh, we all declined

without Jesus, in the darkness we’d be confined

but now God and humanity are intertwined:

so good news to the poor and sight to the blind!

Refrain…

Grandpa Simeon, your soul don’t have to roam

Praying, “Now, Lord, you’re sending your servant home”

Christ is here…the light of the creation

Word made flesh…the Father’s revelation

Love is here…for all of our salvation

Glory hallelujah! Let’s start the celebration!

Mother Mary said let it be as you say

Lord God, it’s about the world going your way

Jesus always practiced, didn’t just preach

love God and neighbor, through his life he used to teach

healed the sick, stilled the storm, raised the dead

made sure every family had their daily bread!

As a young man he taught the teachers

The least, the last and the lost – they’re the ones he features

he’s the eternal Word of God made flesh

yeah not just a plastic piece up in the creche

word up fellow sinners, hear the news

Jesus looks at you and says “I do choose”

you can’t fall out of his love

because at your baptism the Spirit came down like a dove

marked by his cross, we follow him ’til death

but then take another breath

cause on Sunday the tomb was bare

the resurrection is ours, that’s what we share!

Refrain…

Grandpa Simeon, your soul don’t have to roam

Praying, “Now, Lord, you’re sending your servant home”

Christ is here…the light of the creation

Word made flesh…the Father’s revelation

Love is here…for all of our salvation

Glory hallelujah! Let’s start the celebration!

It’s been a great year in the Valley

so many blessings – too much to tally!

God’s mountains – we bask in their glory

and every Sunday the gospel’s been our story!

at St. Jacob’s we’ve walked the way

found our purpose and then we said “yay”

did Lent with our friends, that was great we say

cleaned up the roads but we could do that every day

Holy Week was the high point of the year

the Great Three Days when God is so near

Sunday School, VBS, and Bible study oh my

Pastor Evan loves teaching the Bible and that’s no lie

We cleaned up the cemetery, now you can see the graves

“God’s Work, Our Hands,” that’s how we make waves

Our youth lead the way – heifers and toys and wells

we’ve got bluegrass, we know the gospel it tells!

Refrain…

Grandpa Simeon, your soul don’t have to roam

Praying, “Now, Lord, you’re sending your servant home”

Christ is here…the light of the creation

Word made flesh…the Father’s revelation

Love is here…for all of our salvation

Glory hallelujah! Let’s start the celebration!

We give our future to God, not knowing where we go

our faith will grow and God’s blessings shall flow

the wind of the Spirit will blow, but where we do not know

we have to let go

and risk it all like we cannot fail

telling the tale, living the tale, on every trail

where we walk the walk and talk the talk

ain’t no time to sulk

ain’t time to play church, it’s time to be church

so be an Ambassador for Christ, you can dare

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer. Amen.